Disclaimer: Still nothing guys; I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the spinoffs.

Author's Note: I know it's been a while…. I'm sorry… I have no real excuse. Other than finally getting the chance to play FFVIIR, which was… beautiful. Albeit, also time consuming and how on earth did I spend 45 hours on it and NOT get 100% in trophies? Ugh… it's good that I finished it though at least for everyone here because you guys get me on a break. ;) So let's get right on to it, shall we?

Terms -

Juku - Cram school or "private tutoring". Most students in Japan go to Juku. Most days, they'll go to sports or club activities, then school, then Juku, and then finally at home, they'll do homework still left over from school (that they didn't finish in Juku), and then homework for Juku. A VERY intense daily routine generally speaking.

Taxis/Cabs in Japan - Pretty much the most expensive form of travel you can take while in Japan. I didn't have a car when I lived there, but I did anything to avoid them just because they were so pricey. Other than that though, they're nice and pretty luxurious. The doors open automatically on command for you. The drivers wear white gloves and the seats are nice and plush usually. Just… super expensive. Not something a single teenager would use often.

Today's chapter title means "the truth" or "the reality".

-YGO-

"A life goes by, romantic dreams must die

So I bid my goodbye and never knew

So close, was waiting, waiting here with you

And now, forever, I know

All that I wanted, to hold you so close"

- "So Close" by John McLaughlin

Chapter Thirty-Four: 真実 (Shinjitsu)

Finding himself watching the ticking of the clock till the second hand finally reached "00", Mokuba Kaiba was out of his seat and sprinting down the hallway towards the shoe lockers faster than most students were at standing up out of their seats. He'd been waiting for a good day to go, a day when neither sports or clubs or juku or his brother was going to interfere with his plans.

Bursting through the doors, he ran straight away to the road and hailed a cab. Seto would scold him if he knew he was 'wasting money' on a cab, but he didn't really care if it cost an arm and a leg. His time was limited and he wasn't about to waste time taking the train, no matter what the JR record for no delays was. He wasn't dealing with any stops.

"The Muto Game Shop," Mokuba told the driver who nodded to him and began to drive.

As the door automatically closed, Mokuba leaned back in his seat taking a breather when in the passenger's side mirror he saw her. Yuzuha watching and eyeing the car from the steps of the school. He bit his lip and shut his eyes. 'Sorry Yuzu,' he thought, but this was his only chance. He'd make up for it later.

The memory from the week before flashed in his mind. His brother had come home late, after intruding on him during the test. It wouldn't have been too concerning but... his jacket was dirty. And he said nothing about it. His eyes, just empty. He didn't go to his office, nor the simulator room. He just... went to bed.

Something had happened. Something was going on. Ever since that fight with her. And he intended on finding out what. When the taxi stopped, it startled him. It had been that short? Had he been that deep in thought? Putting his payment promptly in the tray between the two front seats, he jumped out and headed to the door of the Game Shop.

The store sign uncharacteristically for this hour read 'closed'. His eyes narrowed and the resemblance between himself and his brother was uncanny. He slammed the door to the shop open to find Kisara inside sweeping the floor. She jumped at the loud sound, gripping the broom tightly to catch herself.

"Oh... Oh... um," Mokuba watched as she hesitated, "We're uh, we're closed... sir."

Mokuba rolled his eyes, deciding it best to jump right into it at this point. He'd waited long enough, that's for sure, "Kisara, I'm not here to buy cards."

Kisara gulped. This wasn't... about to go well, she could sense it. Her stomach began to sink as Mokuba continued, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck, "Look... Kisara, my brother... He's... what happened exactly?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him, surprised as the younger continued.

"Nii-sama... he, he just, he jumps to conclusions and... after whatever happened the other day, II just... what exactly happened- I wanted to hear it from you," He finished.

The two stood there awkwardly, a silence lingering in the room. Kisara found herself gripping the broom so tightly that her knuckles were white. But what Mokuba noticed was that she looked, ultimately... sad. Finally glancing around, Kisara watched the door to the house, as though gauging something before she sighed and turned to Mokuba.

"Uh... Mokuba, I... I'll… I'll tell you... I'll tell you what...what transpired, but... I don't think you're going to believe me," She said.

"Try me," Mokuba said, eyeing her, "I'm not my brother."

Kisara watched him, slightly surprised as he walked around the corner and pulled one of the game table chairs from around the shelf and sat down around it backwards. She sighed. Yugi... Yugi meant well, but... But concealing the truth had already lost her her best friend, and Mokuba... Mokuba deserved to know at this point too. She shut her eyes tightly before opening them with determination, but didn't let go of the broom, for fear that signs of her shaking might become evident without it.

"Mokuba, I... I think your brother only overheard part of the conversation that Yugi, Joey, and I had been having. The truth is... I'm... It's true that I don't remember everything from my past. I remember places, some faces... but... I don't remember everything. But what I do remember is that... I remember the Pharaoh Atem... and I remember Km- Kmt... what you call 'Ancient Egypt'..." She said slowly.

Mokuba's brows rose. Well... that certainly was a mouthful... seeing that he didn't have any intention of interrupting her, he let Kisara continue, "We're not sure how I got here. Yugi's been trying to figure that out. But essentially... on the date after the stone tablet collapsed... the one that broke when Seto was near it, I showed up here... naked... not knowing how."

"I... Yugi thinks that I'm somehow connected to the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He thinks your brother summoned it somehow and it for whatever reason brought me here. I don't know, I don't remember the Blue Eyes at all. But... it does seem... I don't know, it's striking when I see it, but I don't know if that's because of its appearance or if there is a connection... In any case, Yugi thinks it brought me here to do something on its behalf... for your brother," Kisara finished, awkwardly, knowing how insane it all sounded.

"Something for Seto?" Mokuba repeated, "Like what?"

Kisara glanced up at him, surprised by his lack of skepticism, before slowly continuing, "I... I don't know. It's all... Yugi is just speculating, I think. Recently, he told us that he thinks that if I accomplish that task, I can go home. I don't think we're really any closer to figuring anything out though... Yugi didn't want to tell Seto anything until we knew more, but... as you can tell, it kind of backfired."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Mokuba asked, and it was clear to both of them that Mokuba was referring specifically to her.

Kisara hesitated, a deep seated loathing threatening to spill up from her, but she repressed it, "I... I wanted to. But Yugi said that Seto doesn't like Egypt or Kemet or the Pharaoh or anything having to do with it. He didn't want Seto to explode or storm off and I..."

The truth slipped through, "I was afraid. I... I didn't want your brother... to hate me."

"Tough luck on that though. He hates just about everyone," Joey said from the doorway, causing them both to look up at him.

When had... "Joey, when -"

"Nii-sama doesn't hate everyone," Mokuba cut off Kisara quickly, "He just hates you."

"Yeah, I got that part," Joey said, rubbing the back of his head where a bruise was from last week's adventure, which was still unbeknownst to the other two, "So you decided to tell the brat?"

Kisara looked between the two before nodding. Joey smiled, "Well good. In my opinion, you're more suited to being open than shut up inside."

"But-"

"Cat's out of the bag anyhow now," Joey said, "No use in hiding it. I don't think Yugi expects you to anymore anyway. Well, maybe around Pegasus but..."

"What does Pegasus have to do with it?" Mokuba questioned, feeling as though he was playing catch up after missing a class.

Kisara sighed, "Yugi thinks if Pegasus were to find out, he'd do... something..."

"Capitalize off it somehow," Joey filled in.

Mokuba nodded, "Well I guess that makes sense, but... so Nii-sama... he thinks..."

"Oh, I'd love to hear what he thinks," Joey said coolly, surprising both of the other two, who eyed one another as though trying to get an explanation.

Mokuba got no signals from Kisara, so he decided to answer, "I... Nii-sama, he thinks Yugi paid you off or something, to try and get a hold of his Blue Eyes Cards."

"Idiot," Joey mumbled, "Not everything is about those freakin' cards."

"Hey, from the sounds of it, a lot rides on those cards," Mokuba shot, standing up.

It took her a second, but when the realization hit her, Kisara stood upright as well, "Wait... Mokuba, do you... do you believe us?"

Mokuba glanced at her and shrugged, "Well, uh... I mean... look, a lot of funky stuff always seems to happen with Yugi around and you... well..."

He hesitated to speak all the thoughts in his mind, but eventually caved and just went for it, "Seto was better around you and you... It's not that hard to believe that you'd have a connection to the Blue Eyes... all things considering..."

"What do you mean?"

Mokuba tilted his head back and forth as if to knock the answer out from his brain and down to his vocal cords, "I... I don't know you're just... you're a lot like the Blue Eyes, you know?"

"She might have coloring but I think you're taking a leap there, kid," Joey said negatively.

Mokuba turned his head over to Joey, "That's not what I meant. She... I don't know, I've seen the Blue Eyes far more than either of you have. At least in regards to the hologram. And the Blue Eyes... I could believe it has a personality. If the card game is somehow channeling some creature from the past, that is... whatever the case, regardless, Kisara you... Seto tends to be better around you, like at some kind of calm, I don't know...

Joey rolled his eyes. Calm wasn't exactly what he'd call Seto Kaiba whenever he played the Blue Eyes. More like power hungry. But whatever.

"He's stronger around the Blue Eyes... and he's stronger with you... Whatever the case, I... let me see what I can do; talk to him," Mokuba said, "He's so thick sometimes..."

"Mokuba, you don't have to-" Kisara started.

"I gonna though, he's being an idiot-"

"No-" Kisara cut him off, "No, he's not."

The two boys stared at her, unsure of her logic. She continued, "Seto... he's right to be mad at me. I did lie to him. I... I could have told him the truth from the start. But I was complacent in just being with him, I was willing to hide something so important from him if it meant that... we could spend more time together. I don't want him talking to me simply because 'I need to get home' or 'I need to help him' or even... I don't want him talking to me because I'm connected to his Blue Eyes..."

"Kisara, if he doesn't-"

"Then what?" She snapped, rounding on Joey, "Then I won't get back to Kmt? How do we even know if that will happen if he helps? We don't! Yugi just keeps speculating and I could be stuck here forever and, and-"

It hit her lock a hard rock stuck in her throat and she choaked, beginning, she knew to sound hysterical, "And I don't want him talking to me because of circumstance. He'd just hate it. I only... I just want my friend back. Not a fake smile out of him. Not someone just doing what's right for my sake when I've done nothing, absolutely nothing for him, but lie-"

She found herself being cut off as Joey pulled her into a hug, "You gotta stop that."

Kisara felt her chest beating rapidly even as Joey held her still. It was all coming out. All of her fears. All of the loneliness and feelings of regret. Why hadn't she just done-

"You lied to protect him as much as you did it for yourself. None of us knew or were sure what you were doing here. Telling him could have just as easily-"

"Joey, that's not true. I just lied because I was being selfish. I just... I just wanted his company... I just wanted to be with him... to see him every day at lunch..."

Mokuba watched awkwardly from the side as Joey forced a hard laugh, "Not sure why you wanted that... but you know, you're never under obligation to anyone to tell them about yourself, least of all some egotist like him. Maybe you did 'lie', but... it's not like you lied about something because you were out to hurt him. You just didn't want to upset him. And really, if it wasn't Seto Kaiba, I think most people would have understood that."

Hot salty water filled Kisara's eyes as she buried her head into Joey's shoulder and attempted to keep her nose from running now. It hurt. It just... it all sucked so bad.

The youngest in the room scrunched his shoulders, an uncomfortable pit forming in his stomach. As much as he hated to admit to such folly, he didn't like watching Kisara cry into Joey's shoulders. It didn't feel right to him. But really... it's not like anyone else was there for her. And he'd started this after all, so it wasn't really right for him to try to escape these guilty feelings.

After a while, the tears began to slow and Joey felt the wet spot on his shoulder shrink. He let her go and looked the young woman that was his employee directly in the eyes, "So, now that you've gotten it all out, what do you want to do now?"

"Huh?" She asked.

Mokuba looked up, unsure of what Joey meant as well and so the Game Shop manager continued, "Do you want to just... keep living here? Or do you want to go back? Back to Ancient Egypt I mean?"

Kisara looked at the ground. What... what did she want? She... didn't know. Was Joey insinuating that she should make a choice? Rather than let some Dragon from the past dictate her future? To be fair, it half felt like it didn't have her best interests at heart anyway. If it did, why would it have brought her here? She... She thought about it. She really, she liked everyone here. She thought this place was incredible, amazing... But... it had become bitter. Hard to live in. There was no guarantee that Kmt wasn't like this either though...

Was it running away? Or was she running to something better by trying to go back? Did she have family back there? Was anyone waiting for her? And would it be even more selfish to just force others to comply in sending her back? How much lower could she sink... This modern world with its glass and gold and lanterns and technology and... electricity... perhaps she just wasn't good enough for it. Maybe that's why she had screwed up so badly. Maybe she really... just had to go back to where she belonged.

"I..." She began, "I... I don't know... but, I... I was born there, I think... so I probably belong back there... I should probably go back there... somehow..."

"Well, then like it or not, Kaiba's going to have to talk to you and let you help hi-"

"No!" Kisara snapped, "No, I... I'm not, I won't... if I'm going back, I'm not going to involve Seto anymore."

Mokuba and Joey looked at her oddly, as the elder answered, "Uh... Kisara, I don't think that's possible."

"I'm not doing it. If I'm going to be indignit enough to be the one to force my will upon his. Not again..." She trailed off, "I've done enough of that..."

Again, the two boys looked between one another. Finally, Joey spoke, "Well... then if you really want to go back, but you don't feel right reaching out to him, then I'll do it."

"Are you insane?" Mokuba asked him, "My brother would knock you into next week."

"Oh, you got any other better ideas?"

Mokuba thought for a moment, "Well... I... Yugi could do it."

"Like that would go over any better," Joey snorted in diresion.

"No, look, I... what I mean is... if someone's going to convince my brother to do anything, to help you get home Kisara, even me, I mean, I have no power over my brother. The one thing he respects is the outcome of..." Mokuba paused, knowing what he was saying was close to mutinous, "A duel."

Joey and Kisara's brows raised, Joey going ahead and saying what they were both thinking, "What? You think if Yugi beats him in another duel, he'll listen to him?"

"If it's part of the agreement, the stakes put out, he will. Seto might be a sore loser but... he'll respect the outcomes of a duel. I'm sure of it."

Mokuba glanced between the two of them. He could tell they were skeptical.

"Well..." Joey began, "That's all well and good, but I don't know. I still..."

"I agree with Mokuba."

The three in the room turned to see a fourth member enter the shop, Yugi, "Kaiba has always respected duel outcomes... Kisara, if I have to duel him to get him to do whatever is needed to get you home, I will."

"Yugi..." Kisara whispered, a sudden relief overwhelming her as the fear that Yugi would be upset by all of this seemed washed away with the tide.

"Yug, he hates you right now, how-"

"Kaiba has always hated me..." Yugi began.

"Yugi, that's not true-" Mokuba started.

"It's kind of you to lie for your brother, Mokuba," Yugi said, stepping down from the upper step into the room, "But you and I both know that he's probably in no mood to even talk to me right now... it's not going to do us any good to try to wait to befriend him, especially if..."

He turned to Kisara, "Especially, if the time to reverse this is running out."

Kisara nodded, albeit hesitantly. Joey folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine, we still have to figure out a situation in which to get the two of you into a duel. After the last one, I doubt Kaiba's looking for another beating."

"Leave that to me," Mokuba said suddenly, a thought bubbling into his head.

"Wha?" Joey asked.

"Leave it to me. Nii-sama... I don't know. Normally he's always interested in dueling Yugi, so it wouldn't be a problem, but, you're right, Joey. I don't think he'd do it for any random reason right now; he'll have to be pushed into it..."

"Then how are you going to-" Kisara started.

"Don't worry about it," Mokuba announced, grabbing his bag off the floor, "Yugi, do whatever it is that Pegasus tells you to do, got it?"

"What?"

"What's Pegasus-" Joey began.

"Trust me, if anyone can push Seto's buttons more than you, it's going to be him," Mokuba said, turning for the door, "I can make that happen. I gotta go. But I'll contact you soon, okay? We'll get you home Kisara, if that's what you really want. I promise."

In seconds, the high schooler was gone, leaving all three young adults in his wake. Joey let out a sigh.

"That kid's crazy," He muttered.

Yugi let out a smile as Joey turned back to the storage room. Kisara stood there, transfixed on the door. It was only when Yugi turned to go back inside and the creak of his weight on the floor boards sang that she was startled out of her trance.

"Yugi?" She turned to see him and he stopped, "Um... I... thank you."

Yugi looked over his shoulder and smiled, "No problem."

Glancing out from the backroom, Joey's eyes narrowed as he watched the two.

"You're not mad?" Kisara asked.

Yugi shrugged, "No. All of this is my fault anyway. And I made a promise: I'd do whatever it took to help you get home. It's the least I can do so that you don't feel that you're doing Kaiba wrong."

Kisara smiled warmly at him and bowed, "Thank you."

Yugi blushed a bit and shook his hand, "No worries."

Standing back up straight, Kisara went into the aisles of the store to assist Joey with tidying up. Yugi watched her for a moment, before going inside. It's what Atem would have done, he thought to himself. And it's what he would do too.

-YGO-

A/N: Not really sure why, but this chapter was a little tricky for me. With this, I really hoped I could get across Kisara's feelings of guilt, as though the whole thing was her fault. I think many people often do this. They internalize conflict and blame themselves, when in reality, no one is really 'to blame'. Sometimes misunderstandings just happen. No one's perfect, so we can't be expected to always 100% read others accurately. (Also Seto needs to get off his high horse sometimes). I don't know. Anyway, hopefully that came across, her conflicted feelings on the matter that is - and of course, how her friends just being REALLY good friends by stepping up to the plate for her when she doesn't feel she is fully ready yet. Oh friendship, it really is what we all need. Anyway, hope you liked it! Tell me what you thought and please review! Would love to hear your thoughts. Take care and till next time!

Later,

~Rena